UKtravelbear

There will be an easy connection between LHR and LGW soon enough - Crossrail from LHR to Farringdon (39 minutes) then Farringdon to LGW on Thameslink (as quick as 40 minutes at times).


I know people go on about crossrail to LCY but it's not as easy or as cheap as some - including LCYs operator though the new chief exec says a crossrail station isn't essential to LCYs growth - think it is.

The closest realistic site for a station is the old Silvertown station with a shuttle bus through residential streets to the airport whereas the shuttle bus from Custom House won't go through residential streets. LCY seemed to think they could build a station with 200m long platforms with associated lifts / escalators or £50 million!

Calum

London_traveller

This underlines the general issue: the challenge isn't being approached by starting with the premise, "how can we ensure that public transport is properly integrated?" It's straight into compromises, like a slower LGW connection via Farringdon (terminal to terminal journey time 1.5-2 hours), or missing out LCY on Crossrail because a separate bus connection is a good alternative (it isn't). Back on topic to this forum, I'm surprised firms like BA/IAG don't make more of a stand on this, as it's in their and their passengers' interests to ensure that not just the airports are decent, but the ability to get to and from them.

OK bye

WorldLux

And via Tottenham Court road is better? TCR will be very busy once the two Crossrail lines run through it.

I don't think a crossrail station is necessary. It would've be nice but it probably isn't all that useful. Don't forget that there are fewer trains per hour on Crossrail than on tube lines. The Jubilee/DLR combo works quite nicely. YMMV.

Let's fact it. How many passengers out of the total number of passengers will do London airport transfer?

Globaliser

But the absence of a Crossrail station at LCY means that all the people whose travel is generally made easier by Crossrail miss out on the benefit of an easy intermodal change at LCY.

PJSMITH0

MPH1980

The bit you're missing in all of this is "from/to where". The Jubilee line doesn't help me if I'm coming from Maidenhead trying to get to LCY (or home again) - Crossrail would (as it would for a lot of locations west and east of London) - and, indeed, if there was a parkway at Maidenhead or somewhere nearby - I would then be considering *that* an alternative to getting to LCY. Indeed - I would actually consider LCY as an option (which I don't today)!

If you're in the centre of London - then crossrail is entirely unnecessary to LCY.

Just like if you're in the centre of London - HS2 having a Heathrow spur is unnecessary.

But it's useful if you're in Birmingham ... or Manchester ... or any of the other major cities HS2 would feed.

LHR has to make concessions on the number of people who would arrive to it by public transport as part of the 3rd runway. The only real way it can achieve that change is to make it easier. Having properly integrated transport to the regions and outside London is key to this.

I have two ways of getting to Heathrow which are non-car-based. 1) I can get the bus from my local town centre, which involves two changes and 100 minutes on the road (let alone waiting time). 2) I can train into London (50 minutes) and then train back out on Heathrow Express (20 minutes), having lugged my bag all around - again - ignoring transfer/waiting times.

OR I can get in the car, drive to LHR (30 minutes) and park (5-10 minutes). OR I can get a taxi which has the same environmental impact since it's two car journeys for me out and back.

And I'm not exactly alone here living in the counties outside London.

Having an integrated transport policy is highly sensible. I don't expect a direct train line from outside my door to everywhere I want to go - but I do expect to be able to get to the major transport hubs more easily than I can (if you want me out of my car for the whole journey).

But I know what Heathrow *will* do instead - they'll jack the prices of parking at the airport and they'll probably introduce a kiss-off fee for dropping off.

rockflyertalk

JP Flyer

TWCLAM

What bus ride do you need to take at LGW? If you land in South then you use FC and stay in the terminal. If you land in the South and need the North then you take the transit between terminals which has a journey time of less that 2 minutes & FC will move your bags to your new flight without ever seeing them until you land at your final destination if you've made use of the service before arriving. If not then you grab your own bags and again use the transit. You can move between the two without ever going outside. Fast track and from my own experience even normal security is decidedly quicker( not to mention friendlier) at LGW than at LHR although obviously this is a subjective based on all our own experiences.

I am honestly at a loss as to what you are going on about regarding a bus taking upto 45 minutes. The two terminals have had an automated transit system since the North terminal was built in the 80's. Aside from a period several years ago where they needed to redesign the North terminal station when it was upgraded it's been the way everyone has always moved between the two. Was this maybe the last time you used LGW and that's how you think it's normally done there? It's the only thing I can think of that would explain what you said.

Globaliser

Inbound domestic, perhaps? Gatwick as UK Hub

KARFA

Arriving off any domestic flight at LGW(S) as noted by the OP requires bussing to the domestic arrivals area before exiting landside as there is no internal route from any gate to domestic arrivals in S. If connecting you are forced landside and have to come back through security in S (there were some gates where you could avoid going landside in N when doing an DOM-INT connection).

The transit between S and N once you are on may take 2 minutes, but any transfer between terminals requires the passenger to exit landside (going through immigration if arriving off an international flight) collecting bags if necessary, walking all the way to the transit stop, waiting for the next transit, getting off at the other end, rechecking bags if necessary, and going through security to go airside at the other terminal. Not an easy process and not really designed for inter terminal transfers.

As someone who is familiar with LGW the timings and issued noted by the OP seem entirely believable.

TWCLAM

So not making use of the free flight connections service then? UK DOM flights can use a gate, typically in the South it would be the 55's as they are known and walk through the airport without the need for a bus ( although both methods are used in both terminals). You wouldn't need to go to Dom Arrivals you'd simply turn off and go to the FCC and effective never land if that makes sense.

Obviously if you land eg S and are flying back out of N then yes I concede you would need to go landside and then pass through security in N as you've mixed with the general public. The only exception to this is EI-VS ( South and North based respectively) who have an approved agreement and will bus pax direct from S-N ( pick up at the aircraft/ gate) Does LHR have a system where I can land in say T5 need to connect to T3 and dont have to either pass through security in T5 or use a bus across the apron to achieve this?

If you were doing a GLA-LGW on a BA flight and then going to say MAD on BA then you wouldn't need a bus, to pass through immigration or security. You could pass through the terminal to the FCC and then into the IDL and away you go aslong as your bags have been checked through and you have your boarding pass for the next leg. Yes there are 100% circumstances where you couldn't do this but it can be done.

See section on UK & IRL Flights connecting to International in this link. https://www.gatwickairport.com/at-th...t-connections/

KARFA

Th 55 gates are not in the south terminal they are in the north terminal.

As noted there is absolutely no airside connection route from domestic arrivals in the south terminal (where BA operate from) to another flight departing from the south terminal, all connecting passengers arriving from domestic flights must go landside.

ALL domestic arrivals in to the south terminal are bussed from the aircraft to the domestic arrivals area - there is no internal route from any gate in the south terminal to the domestic arrivals area.

TWCLAM

You're 100% correct, about the 55's I was confusing my terminals when giving examples for which I apologise.